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To deploy the hoariest journalism cliche: Sleety skies failed to dampen the spirits of the union members pouring into the Times Union Center in preparation for the March on Main Street, which will move into position on the east side of the Capitol in an attempt to be heard within the Assembly chamber as Gov. Paterson delivers the State of the State at 1 p.m.

CSEA spokesman Steve Madarasz said that bad weather and accidents on the Thruway had delayed a few of the more than 100 buses rolling into Albany, but that march organizers still planned to get moving around 12:30.

The floor of the arena included several streams of color-coded union members moving toward their fellows: CSEA in green, PEF in eye-burning yellow. Signs being handed out by PEF included:

We gave at the office

Can you hear me now?

Governor — it’s raining

Cut the waste not the workers

Budget fairness

Good news for the state’s health insurers: Most people appeared to be wearing sturdy footwear, and the roads between the arena and the Capitol were being salted like Lot’s wife.

About Capitol Confidential

Capitol Confidential gathers the best coverage of New York politics and puts it all together. Each section - Capitol, The State Worker, New York on the Potomac, and Voices - represents a unique facet of the political scene. The Capitol section features coverage from the Times Union Capitol bureau. The State Worker is dedicated to state worker issues. New York on the Potomac offers news of interest to New Yorkers from Washington. And Voices features the best of everything else, pointing you to columnists and bloggers from across the Web.